Story by
Daniel Jones injury leads to massive shift in expectation for 49ers
- Story by
- Daniel Jones injury leads to massive shift in expectation for 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers ' path to the postseason had a major obstacle with three tough games after Week 15, but that obstacle changed dramatically and altered the expectations for the 49ers to make the playoffs despite dealing with an injury-riddled roster.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones sustained a torn Achilles in the Colts' Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday according to head coach Shane Steichen. That injury turns the 49ers' Week 16 showdown with the Colts on its head and turned the Monday night contest into a more winnable game for San Francisco .
Advertisement
Without Jones, the Colts are relying on sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard to get them to the finish line. Leonard in his first NFL season is completing 58.1 percent of his throws with 145 yards and one interception in two games.
Indianapolis was scuffling down the stretch, but they were still formidable with Jones under center and running back Jonathan Taylor in the backfield.
The 49ers host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday with a chance to move to 10-4, which they're favored heavily to do. To cement their place in the postseason the 49ers may need 11 wins, which meant winning one of their final three which featured games at Indianapolis, and at home vs. the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks .
It was an end-of-season gauntlet that didn't guarantee the 49ers finish the season with 11 wins, which put their postseason hopes at least a little bit in the balance.
Advertisement
Jones' injury changes the tenor of those final three games.
Now, the expectation should be the 49ers get to 11-4 with wins in their next two games and all but guarantee themselves a playoff spot. If they wind up missing the postseason with the opportunity in front of them, it would be a pretty significant disappointment despite the injury problems they've faced this year.
Not getting to 11 victories would mean the 49ers losing to one of either the Titans or the depleted Colts with a rookie sixth-round pick under center, and then failing to defeat either Chicago or Seattle in what amount to must-win games for their postseason hopes.
This season would go from an impressive year to a monumental collapse.
Advertisement
The 49ers have done plenty on their own to elevate expectations of this year's group. Now they have a chance to win the war of attrition that plays a major role in late-season NFL games and because of it the expectations have been raised once again.
More 49ers: 49ers add another new LB as starting OL hits IR
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Daniel Jones injury leads to massive shift in expectation for 49ers
